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Old 02-19-2010, 10:54 AM   #34
Ben Thornton
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT View Post
Not if one's viewpoint is simply that it's wrong to break the law.

I don't hold that view, I should add, but I know that it is a not uncommon viewpoint.
What I was suggesting was that I think, if most people stopped to think about it, that they would not really hold this viewpoint. For example, what if something that they approved of became illegal when legislation was passed - would they really feel it was wrong as a result? What if they go on holiday to another country - do their ideas of right and wrong change with the laws applicable to them on their travels as the juristiction changes?

It is, of course, possible to hold this view - that obedience to the law is the sole (or an over-riding) arbiter of wrongness, but I doubt that any sane person actually holds this view.
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